In the face of increasingly catastrophic climate news - rising sea levels, wildfires, drought - a team of Russian photographers with the not-for-profit AirPano, have taken to the air in helicopters, airplanes, dirigibles and hot air balloons to offer virtual and often panoramic tours of 200 of the planet's most stunning locations, urban to wilderness, to remind us what's at stake. Take note.

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“You can’t tell me the system is better now than it was before Medicare,” he said.

Coburn agreed that some people received poor care — or no care — before Medicare was enacted in the 1960s, but said communities worked together to make sure most people received needed medical attention.

He also conceded that doctors and hospitals often went unpaid for their efforts, or accepted baked goods or chickens in partial payment.

Here’s a snapshot of life before Medicare:

Only about half of Americans over 65 had health insurance.

Nearly half Americans over 65 were uninsured. Coverage for them was unaffordable. Older people were charged more than three times as much for insurance as younger people, because insurers considered them “bad risks.”

Nine out of ten married seniors, and eight out of ten individual seniors were responsible for their own health care costs, and received no help from government or private agencies. Most paid with health insurance or dug into their own savings, when they could pay at all.

More than one in four seniors went without medical care due to cost issues.

More than one in three seniors lived in poverty.

Fifty years later, Medicare has changed health care for the better.

Medicare covers 49 million Americans over 65, and 65 million younger disabled Americans, who would otherwise be uninsured.

Just 2 percent of Americans over 65 are uninsured.

According to analysts, Medicare has increased life expectancy for Americans over 65 by five years.

Those on Medicare are less likely to go without care or have unmanageable medical bills than people under 65 who have health insurance.

House Republicans have repeatedlyapprovedbudgets that would end Medicare as we know it, by slashing its funding, and replacing it with a voucher system for purchasing private insurance, while passing the costs on to seniors.

It’s precisely because Medicare is both successful and popular that Republicans want nothing more than to “drown it in the bathtub” for its 50th birthday. Conservatives feared the passage of programs like Social Security and Medicare for the same reasons they feared the passage of health care reform. They knew that if these programs were successful, they’d become so popular that Americans would never voluntarily give them up.

Not only did conservatives worst fears regarding Medicare and other programs come true, but Medicare’s success may yet serve as a model for further health care reform. A December 2014 New York Times/CBS survey showed that 59 percent of Americans support the government offering a healthcare plan similar to Medicare to compete with the private market. Calls for “Medicare for all!” may resound as loudly as they did during the the health care reform debate.

About the Author:

Terrance Heath is the Online Producer at Campaign for America's Future. He has consulted on blogging and social media consultant for a number of organizations and agencies. He is a prominent activist on LGBT and HIV/AIDS issues.

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]]> shirkop4@shireweb.biz (Press Release)Fri, 31 Jul 2015 23:31:11 GMThttp://www.enewspf.com/opinion/commentary/63285-medicare-at-50-successful-popular-and-threatened-by-conservatives.htmlClimate Action Coalition Celebrates Historic Win in Raising Global Awareness on Urgency of Climate Crisis in #ShellNO Action in Portlandhttp://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/science/science-a-environmental/63284-climate-action-coalition-celebrates-historic-win-in-raising-global-awareness-on-urgency-of-climate-crisis-in-shellno-action-in-portland.html
In record heat, members and organizers with the Climate Action Coalition in Portland, OR, together with Greenpeace activists made history on Thursday when they forced the MSV Fennica, the Arctic icebreaker, to stand down, delaying its departure by approximately 40 hours.

PORTLAND, Oregon --(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. In record heat, members and organizers with the Climate Action Coalition in Portland, OR, together with Greenpeace activists made history on Thursday when they forced the MSV Fennica, the Arctic icebreaker, to stand down, delaying its departure by approximately 40 hours. The Fennica is now headed for the Arctic where it will assist Shell Oil in drilling for oil.

The non-violent direct action of “kayaktivists”—activists on kayaks—and Greenpeace climbers suspended from the St. John’s Bridge in Cathedral Park in Portland, OR, focused international attention on the recklessness of Arctic drilling at a time when scientists tell us we must leave all unproven and most proven reserves of fossil fuels in the ground if we are to avoid dangerous and possibly runaway climate change.

As the Fennica approached, kayakers paddled toward the icebreaker and continued to impede its path. Law enforcement out on the water intervened; approximately 25 kayakers and canoers were detained; 11 were taken to the Coast Guard and detained and issued $500 citations, and at least two others were also issued $500 citations. At least three may face serious legal charges. Local representatives of CAC received reports from some observers that Coast Guard and other law enforcement boats were ramming kayaks to knock people into the water. One law enforcement boat allegedly ran over a kayaker who was forced between the moving Fennica and the law enforcement boat. Most disturbingly, a representative of the Backbone Campaign acting as part of the boat safety crew was detained by law enforcement while attempting to rescue two kayakers who had fallen in the Willamette River, creating a situation that could have been tragic. Portland Rising Tide activist Jonah Majure locked his neck to the railroad bridge before the boat attempted to come through, but was removed by police.

Despite the hazards and risk of arrest, at least 500 people gathered on the shore, chanting, “Stop that boat! Stop that boat!” At one point, the Fennica did indeed stop when kayaks again flooded its path, but the ship eventually passed through the blockade.

The Climate Action Coalition remains deeply disappointed that President Obama has not rescinded Shell’s permit to drill in the Arctic, despite broad public opposition, but we are buoyed by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, who has come out in opposition to Arctic drilling. The Climate Action Coalition considers the blockade to be a huge victory that drew attention to the crisis of climate change and the recklessness of Shell’s Arctic drilling.

“We are grateful for the huge outpouring of support from the local and global community, demonstrating broad public concern around both Arctic drilling and climate change,” said Meredith Cocks of Rising Tide. “Between the bridge climbers, the railroad lockdown, and the kayak flotilla we were fighting by land, air and sea!”

“Scientists have sounded the alarm, telling us we need to keep most of our known fossil fuel reserves in the ground, and we have heeded the call with direct action in defense of our planet. Hundreds of Portlanders joined us in saying, ‘Shell No!’ and ‘Stop that boat!’ and we are grateful for their support,” said Maya Jarrad with 350PDX.

“There is no greater moral issue before us today than global warming. Our generation has a sacred calling to prevent the worst: flooding of our cities, refugees fleeing rising water, failed states, and armed conflict over resources. The activists who created the blockade with their very bodies are spiritual warriors of the highest degree,” said Rev. Marilyn Sewell, Minister Emerita, First Unitarian Church of Portland.

“When our elected officials refuse to act on climate change and permit extreme energy extraction such as Shell’s reckless drilling in the Arctic, we are prepared to take direct, nonviolent action to preserve a planet for all of our children’s sake, and hope others will do the same,” said Daphne Wysham, director of the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network.

Climate Action Coalition members, friends, and Sierra Club activists will be gathering again at Cathedral Park on Friday at 7 p.m. to celebrate our successes, thank our supporters and build momentum for continuing activism.

Institute for Policy Studies turns Ideas into Action for Peace, Justice and the Environment. We strengthen social movements with independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots, scholars and elected officials. I.F. Stone once called IPS "the think tank for the rest of us." Since 1963, we have empowered people to build healthy and democratic societies in communities, the US, and the world.

'In short, Black children are subjected to harsher treatment because of their race,' the US Justice Department found

"It is assembly-line justice, if you can call it justice at all," says the Justice Department's Vanita Gupta. (Photo: orangesparrow/flickr/cc)

Black kids in St. Louis, Missouri are being disproportionately impacted by unconstitutional and discriminatory miscarriages of justice within the Family Court system, according to a two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to a statement on Friday from the agency's Civil Rights Division, the probe found multiple constitutional violations, including:

Failure to make adequate determinations that there is probable cause that a child committed the alleged offense;

Failure to provide adequate due process to children facing certification for criminal prosecution in adult criminal court;

Failure to ensure that children’s guilty pleas are entered knowingly and voluntarily;

An organizational structure that is rife with conflicts of interest, is contrary to separation of powers principles and deprives children of adequate due process; and

Disparate treatment of Black children at four key decision points within the juvenile justice system.

"In short, Black children are subjected to harsher treatment because of their race," the findings report reads.

For example, the probe found that Black youths are almost one-and-a-half times more likely than White children to have their cases handled "formally," even after introducing control variables such as gender, age, risk factors, and severity of the allegation. "Processing a case informally is considered more desirable for youth because after successful completion of an informal disposition, the case is dismissed," the report explains.

In other words, the investigation indicates that Black children have less opportunity to benefit from diversion alternatives—such as drug counseling or educational programming—when compared with White children.

"The findings we issue today are serious and compelling," said Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

"Missouri was at the forefront of juvenile corrections reform when it closed its large juvenile institutions and moved to a smaller, treatment-focused system and we are hopeful that Missouri will rise to this challenge to, once again, be a leader in juvenile justice reform," she added. "This investigation is another step toward our goal of ensuring that children in the juvenile justice system receive their constitutionally guaranteed rights to due process and equal protection under the law."

But to do so will require the sweeping structural overhaul of a system that Gupta described to the Huffington Post as "just rife with conflict."

"It is assembly-line justice, if you can call it justice at all," she added.

As HuffPo journalist Ryan J. Reilly reports:

The Justice Department's report found that the St. Louis County Family Court's organization structure "presents inherent conflicts of interest" that are "contrary to constitutional separation of powers principles" and deprive children of due process. The court's own legal officers play the role of prosecutors in the court, but are not "ethically constrained to pursue justice or act in accordance with the public interest," according to the report. Those legal officers—the quasi-prosecutors—instead are obligated to advocate zealously for the interests of their clients: deputy juvenile officers, who are responsible for "virtually every aspect" of the operations of the court.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Justice Department will seek a mutual agreement to resolve the violations, but otherwise could litigate.

"The action is similar—but unrelated—to a different Justice Department report issued in March that was highly critical of police and municipal court practices in Ferguson," the Post-Dispatch notes. "The new report references Ferguson as well, suggesting the that the conflicts of interest in the Ferguson municipal courts and Family Court are similar."

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]]> shirkop4@shireweb.biz (Press Release)Fri, 31 Jul 2015 23:17:38 GMThttp://www.enewspf.com/opinion/analysis/63283-in-st-louis-black-youths-bear-brunt-of-dysfunctional-justice-system.htmlUnited States Files Complaint against Three Wisconsin Dietary Supplement Manufacturershttp://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/63281-united-states-files-complaint-against-three-wisconsin-dietary-supplement-manufacturers.html
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—July 31, 2015. The Department of Justice filed a complaint today alleging that three Wisconsin companies that manufacture dietary supplements were not complying with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) current good manufacturing practices and were misbranding their products. The complaint was filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin against Atrium Inc., Aspen Group Inc., Nutri-Pak of Wisconsin Inc., and the owners of the three firms, James F. Sommers and Roberta A. Sommers. The companies, located in Wautoma, Wisconsin, sell dietary supplements to retail stores, healthcare professionals and directly to consumers via the Internet.

The complaint alleged that the firms were violating the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) by failing to comply with current good manufacturing practices that, among other things, require manufacturers to establish specifications to ensure the identity and potency of the ingredients in dietary supplements. The complaint also alleged that the firms’ products were misbranded because they failed to identify the part of the plant from which the ingredients were derived, did not list the number of servings per container and failed to identify the serving size.

“Makers of dietary supplements who do not follow the FDA’s regulations put the public at risk,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with the FDA to try to make sure that consumers are ingesting safe products and are getting what they paid for.”

“This case and the remedial actions required by the consent decree reflect the continuing focus of our office and the Justice Department generally in safeguarding and promoting the health and well-being of our people,” said U.S. Attorney James L. Santelle of the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “The corrections that these companies are required to accomplish along with oversight and inspection of them, will ensure compliance with the law and responsible sales to consumers.”

In conjunction with the filing of the complaint, the defendants agreed to settle the litigation and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction that prohibits them from violating the FDCA. The consent decree requires the dietary supplement manufacturer to cease all operations and requires that if the defendants wish to resume manufacturing dietary supplements in the future, the FDA first must determine that their manufacturing practices have come into compliance with the law. The proposed consent decree is awaiting approval by the court.

The case is being handled by Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan M. Knepel of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, with assistance from Deeona Gaskin of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.

A complaint is merely a set of allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government would need to prove by a preponderance of the evidence.

CHICAGO--(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced a dramatic increase in the percentage of Chicago teens who have received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The HPV vaccine prevents the most common types of the virus, some of which can lead to cancer. The improvement was highlighted in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) release of the yearly National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen).

“CDPH’s vaccination-awareness efforts show how the City of Chicago is dedicated to keeping our young people safe and healthy,” said Mayor Emanuel. “These results demonstrate how adolescents are taking action now so they can be more in control of their health tomorrow.”

In 2014, coverage levels for Chicago females having received the first dose of the HPV vaccine increased to 78.1 percent, up from 57.6 percent in 2013. The 2014 average for the United States was 60 percent. Coverage levels for the same group having received all three doses of the vaccine increased to 52.6 percent, up from just 36.5 percent in 2013. The 2014 average for the United States was 39.7 percent.

In 2014, coverage levels for Chicago males having received the first dose of the HPV vaccine increased to 64.9 percent, up from 45.8 percent in 2013. The 2014 average for the United States was 41.7 percent. Coverage levels for the same group having received all three doses of the vaccine increased to 26.1 percent, up from 18.5 percent in 2013. The 2014 average for the United States was 21.6 percent.

“The NIS- Teen data show that our efforts to protect teens from cancer are resulting in more teens getting vaccinated,” said CDPH Commissioner Dr. Julia Morita. “Nonetheless, there is still work to do if we are going to reach our 2020 goal of 80 percent coverage.”

In January 2014, CDPH announced a new plan to improve vaccine acceptance and to decrease cancer rates throughout the City. The plan included in-person training for medical providers and a citywide public education campaign geared toward adolescents and their parents. The plan was made possible through an $829,654 grant awarded to CDPH CDC following a competitive bidding process.

Throughout the year, CDPH hosted 22 educational events (webinars and in-person meetings) with over 2,000 participants from the healthcare field. In June 2014, CDPH launched a citywide public awareness campaign. The campaign featured ads on buses, trains, broadcast and digital media that encouraged parents to talk to their child’s doctor about getting the HPV vaccine. Another important strategy included in-office education sessions by physician and nurse practitioner educators in clinics throughout Chicago. In these sessions, clinic staff received “report cards” that summarized how well they were vaccinating their teenagers and received suggestions for improving their patients’ acceptance of HPV vaccine.

“Chicago’s efforts to protect its youth from dangerous cancers have made for a great success story,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, Director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “CDPH has established itself as a national leader in public health community outreach practices that make the City a healthier place.”

The HPV vaccine is recommended for all girls and boys ages 11 to 12 and is given as a series of three shots over six months. To get your child vaccinated, talk to your healthcare provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider, call 311 for more information about the HPV vaccine or to locate one of our Fast Track Immunization Clinics that provide all routinely recommended vaccines to children ages 0-18 years.

CDPH worked with the following community partners on the HPV vaccination plan: Access Community Health Network, Alliance of Chicago Community Health Centers, American Academy of Pediatrics (IL Chapter), American Cancer Society, Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chicago Public Schools, Erie Family Health Center-School Based Health, EverThrive Illinois, Foundation for Women's Cancer, IL Academy of Family Physicians, IL Dept. of Public Health, Loyola University-Proviso East School Based Health Center, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Respiratory Health Association, Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago Medicine – Health4Chicago, Comprehensive Cancer Center/Sisters Working It Out, UIC- Internal Medicine and Pediatrics/Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships.

'Some forests could be in a race to recover before the next drought strikes'

Forests play an important role as "carbon sinks" by absorbing and storing CO2 emissions, but a new study finds that that droughts—expected to become more frequent with climate change—deal that climate-buffering power a blow.

The findings, published this week in the journal Science, show that forests don't as recover as quickly after a drought as had been previously thought, indicating a need to adjust climate models.

Researchers gathered tree ring data from over 1,300 sites across the globe to measure growth in periods after severe droughts that have occurred since 1948, and found that for the majority of the forests they studied, trees suffered years-long effects post-drought.

The researchers write: "We found pervasive and substantial 'legacy effects' of reduced growth and incomplete recovery for 1 to 4 years after severe drought."

They found that it took an average of 2 to 4 years for the trees to resume normal growth, with the first year growth happening about 9 percent more slowly than expected, and five percent more slowly the second. That's in contrast to previous ecosystem models that had assumed a quick recovery after drought.

"This really matters because in the future droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change," stated lead author William R.L. Anderegg, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Utah. "Some forests could be in a race to recover before the next drought strikes," he said.

What's the bottom line in terms of the impact on climate change?

Just looking at semi-arid ecosystems, these 'legacy effects' would mean 1.6 metric gigatons of carbon dioxide over a century. A press release for the study says that amount is roughly equal to one-fourth of the entire U.S. emissions in a year.

"If forests are not as good at taking up carbon dioxide, this means climate change would speed up," Anderegg stated.

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KENTUCKY--(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. Logan McCulloch, a Lyme disease survivor and avid hiker, will ride his bike from Kentucky to California, starting this morning at 10AM, as part of his “Trek for Truth” public awareness

When the CDC issued a Lyme disease alert for 17 states earlier this month, Louisville resident Logan McCulloch was one of many local Lyme disease survivors surprised to learn that Kentucky, Indiana, and other states were not on the list. Convinced the CDC is sending the wrong message, McCulloch decided to send a message of his own by riding a bicycle across the country, and visiting Lyme disease support groups in every state. His “Trek for Truth” bike ride begins this morning in downtown Louisville.

When Logan McCulloch begins Louisville, KY, July 31st, 2015 his cross country bicycle ride at 10AM this morning, leaving from Waterfront Park, he’ll leave to the cheers of dozens of friends and supporters who believe in his mission – to convince anyone who will listen that Lyme disease is national problem, flourishing in Kentucky, Indiana, and dozens of other states not listed in the recent CDC health alert.

Some supporters of McCulloch’s “Trek for Truth”, struggling with the physical and financial toll of the disease, plan to wear lime green T-shirts to this morning’s send off and rally, a show of support for a man who has become a crusader against the Lyme disease since he contracted the disease in 2011.

“I was hiking with my son in Mammoth Cave National Park when my life changed forever”, said McCulloch. “Like a lot of people bitten by ticks that carry Lyme disease, I was ignorant. I suffered for months with joint aches, loss of energy, and it even memory loss. I had no idea what I was suffering from and neither did doctors. I was misdiagnosed several times.”

Unfortunately for McCulloch, an accurate diagnosis did not happen quickly; he lost his job as a Red Cross administrator after a year of treatment. Now recovered, McCulloch is on a mission to encourage people in every state to that they should take precautions to make sure they’re not bitten. And if they are bitten, they should take antibiotics immediately to ensure they do not suffer long term health problems as he did.

Two years ago, during his first “Trek for Truth”, McCulloch hiked more than 1,900 miles along the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness about Lyme disease in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast. Today, however, the disease poses a national threat. In Kentucky and Indiana, the number of confirmed Lyme disease case has doubled each year for the past three years. Three years ago, there were only 30 members of a Louisville Lyme disease support group; today there are more than 100. Nationally, the number is shocking. More than 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease are reported each year.

“Despite these numbers, I’m amazed at the amount of ignorance and risky behavior I see every day” said McCulloch. “Whenever you’re in or near a wilderness area, whether it’s for a hike with your dog or a picnic with your family, you have to take precautions.” The precautions McCulloch encourages include:

Clothing – Have ready-to-wear insect-repellent clothing for every family and every garment (shoes, socks, pants, shirts, etc.). Insect Shield is the industry leader. The company’s permethrin-treated clothing is EPA registered to repel ticks (as well as a variety of other dangerous insects.) The repellency is odorless, invisible and long-lasting. Learn more at www.InsectShield.com

Yard – Ticks are not out in the middle of your lawn, they live where yards border wooded areas, or anywhere it is shaded and there are leaves with high humidity. Place a layer of wood chips between your grass yard and the woods edge. Ticks are attracted to the wood chips because of the shade and moisture it provides.

Hiking or Biking Precautions – When on a hike, bike, or walk try to remain in the center of a trail in order to minimize your exposure. Remember – ticks cannot fly, they crawl up. Avoid sitting directly on the ground, woodpiles or fallen logs – areas where ticks love to live.

Remove Ticks Safely – to safely remove attached ticks, first disinfect the area with an alcohol swab. Next, using a pointy tweezer, grab the tick “head” as close to the skin as possible and simply pull straight out. Remember to disinfect the bite site again after pulling the tick out.

After leaving downtown Louisville this morning at 10AM (Eastern), McCulloch will bicycle through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, traveling along the winding Transamerica Trail, stopping in cities to meet with Lyme disease support groups in each state.

Armed with a GoPro video camera, McCulloch plans to record interviews with Lyme disease survivors and post their stories along with regular updates about his travels to his website, JourneyThruLyme.com McCulloch plans to finish his 10-week “Trek for Truth” Lyme disease awareness campaign in San Francisco in Mid-October. To see videos and updates during his “Trek for Truth,” visit: www.JourneyThruLyme.com

Reprinted with permission from The Lyme Times journal, a publication of LymeDisease.org.

Depiction of nitrosylated IRE1 on the ER membrane. The red-blue molecules are NO; yellow represents the nitrosylated cysteines of IRE1.

Boston, MA ─(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. New research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health describes a molecular mechanism that helps explain how obesity-related inflammation can lead to type 2 diabetes. The findings describe a surprising connection between two molecular processes that are known to be involved in the development of metabolic disease—inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction—and suggest that targeting this connection could aid in the development of new therapies.

The study will be published in the July 31, 2015 issue of Science.

Specifically, the researchers studied liver cells to show that obesity-associated inflammation can lead to increased production of nitric oxide (NO), a powerful gas that can cripple the ER—an organelle, or “mini-organ,” inside cells that plays a key role in the synthesis of many proteins and lipids. Proper ER function is critical for the liver and other organs to maintain proper glucose levels in the body.

“These results establish that in an environment suffering from chronic inflammation, cellular organelles lose their vitality through a specific link that is identified in our study, and suggest that therapies that target inflammatory pathways, including nitric oxide production, could be effective strategies in the treatment of metabolic disease,” said senior author Gökhan S. Hotamisligil, JS Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism and chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases and the Sabri Ülker Center at Harvard Chan School.

It’s been known that in the presence of obesity, the ER is unable to perform one of its key functions: initiating a cascade of intracellular events called the unfolded protein response (UPR), which relieves ER stress and restores function. While the mechanisms that incapacitate the ER in chronic diseases have remained enigmatic, it was generally assumed that ER dysfunction led to inflammation. But, according to the new study, the sequence may be the opposite—it is obesity-related inflammation that impairs the UPR response and thus ER function.

The researchers outlined the sequence of events that results from obesity-related inflammation. First, the inflammation leads to increased NO production. The NO, in turn, modifies an enzyme called IRE1 that is involved in the UPR. The result: failure of the UPR to restore ER function, leading to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

In an innovative approach, the researchers engineered a form of IRE1 that could not be modified by NO, and found that it protected against the detrimental consequences of inflammation and improved metabolic control in obese mice.

Lead author of the study was Ling Yang, former Hotamisligil lab member who is currently an assistant professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Other Harvard Chan School authors included Ediz Calay, Alessandro Arduini, and Abdullah Yalcin, postdoctoral researchers in the Hotamisligil lab; former research assistant Jason Fan; and former postdoc Suneng Fu.

Funding came from the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health (DK052539).

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America’s oldest professional training program in public health.

Bethesda, Maryland--(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. Five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate step-like movements thanks to a new strategy that non-invasively delivers electrical stimulation to their spinal cords, according to a new study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The strategy, called transcutaneous stimulation, delivers electrical current to the spinal cord by way of electrodes strategically placed on the skin of the lower back. This expands to nine the number of completely paralyzed individuals who have achieved voluntary movement while receiving spinal stimulation, though this is the first time the stimulation was delivered non-invasively. Previously it was delivered via an electrical stimulation device surgically implanted on the spinal cord.

In the study, the men’s movements occurred while their legs were suspended in braces that hung from the ceiling, allowing them to move freely without resistance from gravity. Movement in this environment is not comparable to walking; nevertheless, the results signal significant progress towards the eventual goal of developing a therapy for a wide range of individuals with spinal cord injury.

“These encouraging results provide continued evidence that spinal cord injury may no longer mean a life-long sentence of paralysis and support the need for more research,” said Roderic Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D., director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at NIH. “The potential to offer a life-changing therapy to patients without requiring surgery would be a major advance; it could greatly expand the number of individuals who might benefit from spinal stimulation. It’s a wonderful example of the power that comes from combining advances in basic biological research with technological innovation.”

The study was conducted by a team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Francisco; and the Pavlov Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia. The team was led by V. Reggie Edgerton, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of integrative biology and physiology at UCLA and Yury Gerasimenko, Ph.D., director of the laboratory of movement physiology at Pavlov Institute and a researcher in UCLA’s Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology. They reported their results in the Journal of Neurotrauma.

Range of voluntary movement prior to receiving stimulation compared to movement after receiving stimulation, physical conditioning, and buspirone. The subject’s legs are supported so that they can move without resistance from gravity. The electrodes on the legs are used for recording muscle activity.

In a study published a little over a year ago, Edgerton — along with Susan Harkema, Ph.D., and Claudia Angeli, Ph.D., from the University of Louisville, Kentucky — reported that four men with complete motor paralysis were able to generate some voluntary movements while receiving electrical stimulation to their spinal cords. The stimulation came from a device called an epidural stimulator that was surgically implanted on the surface of the men’s spinal cords. On the heels of that success, Edgerton and colleagues began developing a strategy for delivering stimulation to the spinal cord non-invasively, believing it could greatly expand the number of paralyzed individuals who could potentially benefit from spinal stimulation.

“There are a lot of individuals with spinal cord injury that have already gone through many surgeries and some of them might not be up to or capable of going through another,” said Edgerton. “The other potentially high impact is that this intervention could be close to one-tenth the cost of an implanted stimulator.”

During this most recent study, five men — each paralyzed for more than two years — underwent a series of 45 minute sessions, once a week, for approximately 18 weeks, to determine the effects of non-invasive electrical stimulation on their ability to move their legs.

In addition to stimulation, the men received several minutes of conditioning each session, during which their legs were moved manually for them in a step-like pattern. The goal of the conditioning was to assess whether physical training combined with electrical stimulation could enhance efforts to move voluntarily. For the final four weeks of the study, the men were given the pharmacological drug buspirone, which mimics the action of serotonin and has been shown to induce locomotion in mice with spinal cord injuries. While receiving the stimulation, the men were instructed at different points to either try to move their legs or to remain passive.

At the initiation of the study, the men’s legs only moved when the stimulation was strong enough to generate involuntary step-like movements. However, when the men attempted to move their legs further while receiving stimulation, their range of movement significantly increased. After just four weeks of receiving stimulation and physical training, the men were able to double their range of motion when voluntarily moving their legs while receiving stimulation. The researchers suggest that this change was due to the ability of electrical stimulation to reawaken dormant connections that may exist between the brain and the spinal cord of patients with complete motor paralysis.

Surprisingly, by the end of the study, and following the addition of buspirone, the men were able to move their legs with no stimulation at all and their range of movement was — on average — the same as when they were moving while receiving stimulation.

“It’s as if we’ve reawakened some networks so that once the individuals learned how to use those networks, they become less dependent and even independent of the stimulation,” said Edgerton.

The researchers also made extensive recordings of electrical signals generated in the calf muscle and the muscle directly below the calf while the men attempted to flex their feet during stimulation. Over time, these signals increased with the same amount of stimulation, further supporting the hypothesis of re-established communication between the brain and spinal cord.

Edgerton has already initiated a new study to see whether these same men can be trained with non-invasive spinal stimulation to fully bear their weight, a feat that the four men with surgically implanted stimulators have already achieved. In addition, he is interested in determining whether, similar to epidural stimulation, non-invasive stimulation can help individuals regain some autonomic functions lost due to paralysis such as the ability to sweat, regulate blood pressure, and control bladder, bowel, and sexual function.

The hope is that further research can help determine whether non-invasive stimulation can restore function that will truly impact patient lives.

Edgerton also wants to test non-invasive stimulation on individuals who have partial paralysis. “We have focused on individuals with complete paralysis throughout this whole process because we knew that was going to be the toughest patient population to see changes in. We’ve always thought, and we have every reason to believe, that those individuals with partial injuries have even more room for improvement,” said Edgerton.

Though a non-invasive stimulation could offer advantages over a surgically implanted device, Edgerton says both need to continue to be developed. For example, a non-invasive stimulator might be useful in determining whether a patient will be receptive to neuromodulation, which could then help determine whether undergoing surgery to implant a stimulator is warranted. Alternatively, Edgerton speculates it may be possible early after an injury for non-invasive stimulation to help patients achieve a certain level of motor control that then allows them to continue to improve with physical rehabilitation and avoid surgery altogether.

“All patients are going to need something slightly different, and maybe non-invasive stimulation is going to be best in some cases and epidural stimulation in others,” said Edgerton. “What we need to do is maximize the clinical tool box that we have so that the physician and the patient can select a therapy that is best for them.”

This research was supported in part by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at NIH under award numbers EB015521, EB007615, and TR000124, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the Walkabout Foundation, and the F. M. Kirby Foundation, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research grant №13-04-12030, the Russian Scientific Fund project № 14-45-00024, the J. Yang and Family Foundation, and the Paul and Daisy Soros New American Fellowship.

The mission of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering is to improve health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies. The Institute is committed to integrating the physical and engineering sciences with the life sciences to advance basic research and medical care. NIBIB supports emerging technology research and development within its internal laboratories and through grants, collaborations, and training. More information is available at the NIBIB website: http://www.nibib.nih.gov.

The NINDS is the nation’s leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s website at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is a distinctly different entity in the research ecosystem. Rather than targeting a particular disease or fundamental science, NCATS focuses on what is common across diseases and the translational process. The Center emphasizes innovation and deliverables, relying on the power of data and new technologies to develop, demonstrate and disseminate improvements in translational science that bring about tangible improvements in human health. More information: http://www.ncats.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

]]> shirkop4@shireweb.biz (Press Release)Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:30:43 GMThttp://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/63262-paralyzed-men-move-legs-with-new-non-invasive-spinal-cord-stimulation.htmlCenter for American Progress' Carmel Martin on the Administration’s Executive Order Restoring Pell Grant Access to Incarcerated Studentshttp://www.enewspf.com/opinion/commentary/63261-center-for-american-progress-carmel-martin-on-the-administration-s-executive-order-restoring-pell-grant-access-to-incarcerated-students.html
Washington, D.C. —(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. The Obama administration announced on Friday that the U.S. Department of Education will launch a pilot to test the effects of restoring access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students. This measure will give a limited number of individuals at selected correctional facilities a chance to obtain education and training to prepare for employment upon release. Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement in response:

We applaud the Obama administration for taking this important step. Prison education and training is truly a win-win—boosting formerly incarcerated individuals’ employment rates upon release, substantially decreasing recidivism, and yielding tremendous cost savings in reduced incarceration. In fact, studies show that every dollar spent on prison education saves $4 to $5 in reduced incarceration costs during the next three years, when recidivism is most likely. Yet despite their cost effectiveness, prison education and training programs are far too scarce, in large part because Congress removed access to Pell Grants for inmates in 1994, putting prison education and training out of reach for inmates who want to increase their employability and chances of successful re-entry. The president’s action today will help ensure public safety and give a limited number of individuals in select correctional facilities the chance to obtain the education and training they need to forge a pathway to successful re-entry and to have a meaningful shot at a second chance.

In a recent report from the Center for American Progress, “One Strike and You’re Out,”Rebecca Vallas and Sharon Dietrich address how mass incarceration and criminal records serve as underappreciated drivers of poverty and inequality in America by presenting barriers to employment, housing, education and training, building good credit, and more. The report offers a roadmap of policy recommendations—including calling for testing the restoration of Pell Grants to incarcerated individuals—to ensure that Americans with criminal records have a fair shot at making a decent living, providing for their families, and joining the middle class.

]]> shirkop4@shireweb.biz (Press Release)Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:25:54 GMThttp://www.enewspf.com/opinion/commentary/63261-center-for-american-progress-carmel-martin-on-the-administration-s-executive-order-restoring-pell-grant-access-to-incarcerated-students.htmlMeeting Records Expose Industry’s Influence in UK’s Neonic Emergency Use Decisionhttp://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/science/science-a-environmental/63260-meeting-records-expose-industry-s-influence-in-uk-s-neonic-emergency-use-decision.html
Washington, DC--(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2015. New information has surfaced regarding the role of agrochemical giants Bayer and Syngenta in the United Kingdom (UK)’s recent decision to temporarily allow the use of neonicotinoid seed treatment on oilseed rape crop. A record of the meeting, involving the UK government’s expert committee on pesticides (ECP) and industry representatives, had previously been suppressed. The newly released record of the meeting shows that Bayer and Syngenta were the only external representatives asked to answer the ECP’s questions.

The emergency use, which has been granted for 120 days, allows growers to use Bayer’s Modesto (clothianidin) and Syngenta’s Cruiser OSR (thiamethoxam). The active ingredients of these products belong to a class of toxic chemicals known as neonicotinoids (neonics), which have been linked to pollinator decline. These pesticides are associated with decreased learning, foraging and navigational ability in bees, as well as increased vulnerability to pathogens and parasites as a result of suppressed bee immune systems. Used widely in agriculture as seed treatment for various crops, foraging bees, in the absence of their native habitat, are exposed to fields of poison where even pollen and nectar are contaminated. In addition to toxicity to bees, neonicotinoids have been shown to also impact birds, aquatic organisms and contaminate soil and waterways, and overall biodiversity.

The European Commission voted to suspend the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in 2013 for two years. The ban came several months after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released a report identifying “high acute risk” to honey bees from uses of certain neonicotinoid chemicals. However, this action was opposed by the UK government. Despite this opposition, Britain was required to comply with the ban under European Union (EU) rules, until this newly approved emergency use.

The report of industry involvement with the UK decision is alarming to environmental advocates, given that the decision was based solely on industry data instead of balanced representative input. Unfortunately, industry manipulation over governmental regulation is nothing new. Earlier this month, a German risk assessment group relied almost exclusively on industry research in order to draw conclusions on the safety of glyphosate after it was classified as a carcinogen based on laboratory studies by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Germany was charged by the EU with the safety review of glyphosate: yet three scientists sitting on its scientific panel on pesticides are employees of BASF and Bayer, two major pesticides producers. In addition to the extensive power of industry lobbyists in the U.S. regulatory process, industry has long exerted influence through the “revolving door,” or the movement of personnel between regulatory roles in government and the industries that are affected by the regulations.

There are many other tactics that the industry uses in order to gain policy and political influence. Industry lobbyists spend millions of dollars to influence consumer behavior. The American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec), a powerful, industry-leaning lobbying organization, held its annual meeting earlier this month, promoting unscientific information about the actual state of honey bees in the U.S. These meetings seeks to influence the political process and forge relationships between corporations and politicians. When these meetings are not taking place, hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on communication efforts to spin the media and drive consumer behavior, often using front groups that appear in the media to be independent sources, but are in fact funded by the interests of the industry.

Knowledge of these meetings is critical in influencing state and local decision makers to act because of industry-dominated regulatory decisions that assume the necessity of toxic materials, driven by companies with a vested economic interest in the policies they promote. EPA’s reliance on industry-funded science, and the numerous connections between industry and the governing agencies demonstrate the need for critical thinking when it comes to the use of toxic pesticides, and the importance of adopting non-toxic and organic alternatives.

Organic food is nurtured in a system of food production, handling and certification that rejects hazardous synthetic chemicals. USDA organic certification is the only system of food labeling that is subject to independent public review and oversight, assuring consumers that toxic, synthetic pesticides used in conventional agriculture are replaced by management practices focused on soil biology, biodiversity, and plant health. This eliminates commonly used toxic chemicals in the production and processing of food that is not labeled organic–pesticides that contaminate our water and air, hurt biodiversity, harm farmworkers, and kill bees, birds, fish and other wildlife.

Cecil the lion Source: google.com

Washington, DC– (ENEWSPF)—July 30, 2015. Following the tragic killing of Cecil the lion, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Co-Chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, and Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and 48 other House Democratic members urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to finalize its proposed rule listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Currently, the African lion is not listed as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. It is therefore legal to import lion trophies into the United States, which is now the world’s largest importer of these trophies. Big-game hunters often pay tens of thousands of dollars to kill endangered animals for trophies and sport. In 2013, former Representative Jim Moran and Representative Blumenauer sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging protections for the African lion under the Endangered Species Act. The agency proposed listing the African lion as threatened in 2014, but has yet to finalize the listing.

“The killing of the beloved Cecil the lion is tragic and an outrage, and is part of a much larger peril facing African lions,” said Representative Blumenauer. “It’s time for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to finalize its rule and list the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We must improve conservation of this iconic species and send a strong signal that we will protect the African lion.”

"The Fish and Wildlife Service should immediately provide Endangered Species Act protections for African lions. Trophy hunters like Walter Palmer should no longer get a free pass to kill lions by the hundreds, especially now that these great cats are barely hanging on in so many parts of their range,” said Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States.

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), right, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Of course, both lawmakers have expressed disdain for the deal with Iran. (Photo: Harnik/Washington Post)ational

Given our size and military might, we Americans are safe from outside invasion for as far into the future as anyone can possible see. But we are clearly vulnerable to terrorist attacks. And the more nuclear weapons there are in the world, the greater the chance that a future suicide bomber strolling through one of our cities will be carrying a nuclear device in his or her backpack.

Unfortunately, non-proliferation has long taken a back seat to less important drivers of our geopolitics. Thus, for example, in order to keep good relations with Israel and Pakistan, successive US governments provided both countries with billions in military aid while they built nuclear weapons and refused to sign the international non-proliferation agreement. Today, Pakistan's government - corrupt and potentially unstable - is the major source of nuclear weapon technology dribbling out into the world.

Yet, now, when we finally have an opportunity to stop a hostile nation from acquiring true weapons of mass destruction, Republican Party leaders have vowed to kill it. A few hours after Barack Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran was announced and before they had time to read the text, House speaker John Boehner and a chorus of GOP luminaries declared their opposition.

Aside from their hysterical references to Obama as Neville Chamberlain and the Iranian president as Adolf Hitler, Republicans say they oppose the agreement for two reasons. First, it will not succeed. Second, it will succeed.

It won't succeed, they say, because the Iranians will try to cheat. Possibly. But this is the tightest, most enforceable nuclear agreement ever. Iran has agreed to intrusive inspections and, if they are in violation, to "snapback" provisions that will automatically restore the economic sanctions that drove it to make the deal in the first place. Obama's agreement is based on the same principle Ronald Reagan followed when he signed the 1987 treaty with the Soviet Union for mutual reduction of nuclear missile arsenals: "Trust, but verify."

On the question of trust, the Iranians have had to take their own leap of faith. We are, after all, the nation that in 1953 engineered the overthrow of their democratically elected leader and imposed a despotic king - and in the 1970s provided that king with nuclear technology. In 1980, we supported Saddam Hussein's attack on Iran, igniting an eight-year war that killed over a million Iranians. In 1988, we shot down an Iranian passenger plane over Iranian territory murdering 290 civilians, including 66 children, for which we have never even apologized. We then turned on Hussein, plunging the Middle East into its current nightmare of killing, destruction and terror. Not exactly a record to inspire confidence.

Well, if you are not convinced by their first argument, the Republicans have another: the agreement is bad because it will succeed, i.e., lifting economic sanctions, says Boehner, "will embolden Iran - the world's largest sponsor of terror - by helping stabilize and legitimatize its regime as it spreads even more violence and instability to the region."

Iran certainly supports some bad actors in the Middle East drama. But by far the greatest support for terrorism against the United States has come not from our "enemy" Shiite Iran, but from our Sunni allies -- Saudi Arabia and the Gulf oil sheikdoms, whose royal families have bankrolled the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and provided at least start-up funds for ISIS, in their holy war against the Shiites.

No doubt, ending the embargo will make it easier for Iran to pursue its interests in the region. That's why the Saudis and Israelis say they oppose it. But from the point of view of Americans' security, that risk pales beside the risk of nuclear proliferation. So whose priorities are the Republicans serving?

Moreover, they have no alternative. The notion that a new Republican president - Trump? Bush? Walker? Rubio? Huckabee? (The current leaders in the polls) - could by virtue of their superior knowledge of the Persian mind strike a better deal does not pass the laugh test.

But this is no laughing matter. Time is not on our side. Failure to conclude this agreement now will destroy the political influence of Iran's moderates, guaranteeing an all-out acceleration of Tehran's nuclear bomb program. And the only way to stop that, would be war, which, among other disastrous consequences, would vastly expand the pool of volunteers for suicide missions within the US.

Clearly, the Republican opposition is not driven by thought-through national security considerations. What then is motivating them?

The common answer is "partisanship". The Republicans, so the story goes, hate Barack Obama and are determined to deny him any success. But if that was the case, how do we explain the overwhelming Republican support for the President's trade bill, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, upon which he bet so much of his personal political capital? Not only did they back Obama's proposal, the Republicans even denied themselves, as the majority party, the right to amend any deal he brings back from his secret negotiations with eleven foreign countries?

To understand why the Republicans support Obama on the trade treaty but not the nuclear treaty, follow the money. On trade, the GOP was serving the interests of its big business contributors who want to produce for US markets in places where labor is cheap and regulation is weak.

On the Iranian treaty, the Republicans are carrying the water for another group of financiers. One is the so-called Israeli lobby, which in the last few years has dramatically shifted away from the Democrats to the Republicans. Major contributors, such as casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, are in strategic alliance with the rightwing Koch Brothers and Christian fundamentalist constituencies that until recently were openly anti-Semitic. Adelson alone contributed almost $100 million dollars to conservatives in the last presidential election, and will be putting up even more this time

Actually, the Iran accord is likely to be in the interest of the Israeli people. Its net effect will be to intensify the Shiite-Sunni conflict, diverting the energies of Middle Eastern Muslim countries away from their quarrel with Israel. But with some exceptions, the major American Jewish political funders take their cue from Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made a career of demonizing the Iranians, and is now, in effect, the de facto leader for foreign affairs of the Republican Party.

Other, less well-known sources of money to defeat the Iranian accord are the Gulf oil sheikdoms. In addition to funding terrorists, their monies flow generously to Washington's lobbying firms, think-tanks, journalists and, of course politicians running for office. An ex-Republican senator who heads one of the largest super PACs in America is a registered lobbyist for Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf states get further leverage on American politics through their close ties to the US oil and defense industries, who, even after seven years of Democratic Party control of the Energy and Defense Departments, still contribute more to Republican candidates.

The influence of money on domestic policymaking is generally acknowledged, although inadequately scrutinized, by the media. Foreign policy disputes, however, are treated as more honest, high-toned differences over strategic ideas, e.g., hawks versus doves, realists versus idealists, interventionists versus isolationists.

But in our globalized political economy, influence peddling - for export or import -- no longer stops at the water's edge. There is no reason to think that our foreign policy is immune from the same corrupting financial considerations that shape our domestic policy. In 2013 the top ten foreign countries, led by the United Arab Emirates, spent $70 million (not including diplomatic contacts) to influence Washington policymakers.

So, once you consider the money, the shallow dim-wittedness of the Republican opposition to the Iranian nuclear agreement becomes less of a mystery.

As Upton Sinclair once observed, "It's hard to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding."

'Encouraging more oil production is precisely the wrong policy signal to be sending if you are not a climate denier,' says Oil Change International

Environmental groups like Oil Change International warn that "removing the export ban would cause a hazardous increase in oil drilling in the U.S. and lead to increased climate emissions as well as dangerous oil transportation via rail and pipeline through towns across the country." (Photo: Geof Wilson/flickr/cc)

A industry-led push to lift the U.S. crude oil export ban is gaining momentum in Congress, despite warnings that ending the 40-year-old policy would "cook the climate" and endanger public health and safety.

The country's ban on crude exports was first established during the Arab oil embargo in the early 1970s, in an effort to conserve domestic oil reserves and prevent foreign imports. Backed by Big Oil, key lawmakers who support lifting the ban—like Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.)—say that with U.S. oil production reaching historic highs, it's time to open the industry to the world market.

But environmental groups like Oil Change International warn that "[r]emoving the export ban would cause a hazardous increase in oil drilling in the U.S. and lead to increased climate emissions as well as dangerous oil transportation via rail and pipeline through towns across the country."

And Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said this week that lifting the ban without first considering the environmental consequences would be a "dangerous" move that could increase worldwide carbon emissions by almost 22 million metric tons per year.

In a report (pdf) issued this month, Oil Change pointed out: "Encouraging more oil production is precisely the wrong policy signal to be sending if you are not a climate denier. In fact, a cap and gradual phase down in U.S.—and global—oil production over the next 35 years is exactly what we need in order to avoid catastrophic climate change."

Labor, environment, and consumer groups made their case at a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill Thursday morning, charging that exporting crude oil to overseas markets not only would harm workers and the climate but also would raise prices for American gas consumers and small businesses like independent refineries whose services would no longer be needed.

As Leo Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers, told a Senate committee on Tuesday, "If Congress lifts the crude oil export ban, gas prices will increase and some U.S. refineries could be forced to shut down, sending tens of thousands of jobs overseas. Let's be clear, exporting a natural resource to have it refined overseas and imported back into the U.S. is a net job loser for America."

The push to lift the ban is led by a profit-hungry fossil fuel industry that has, in the words of Public Citizen Energy Program director Tyson Slocum in written testimony (pdf) last month, "launched an expensive media and lobbying campaign to convince lawmakers to repeal or modify this 40-year-old consumer protection statute."

That strategy seems to have convinced some on the right-wing, including Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who endorsed lifting the ban on Wednesday.

Boehner only came to his position after he and GOP leaders did a whip count in recent days to evaluate support for lifting the ban within the party, Republicans said.

And it appears that the count was pretty decisive.

“There continue to be some skeptics, or at least politically concerned members in areas like the Northeast, where there’s a hub of refiners. But by and large, it’s whipped very strongly on our side,” said Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who supports exporting crude.

He and other members said GOP leaders would almost definitely move for a vote in the House sometime this fall.

To do so would be short-sighted, Slocum warned in his testimony. "We must learn from Nigeria, Russia, and Venezuela that an economy that prioritizes natural resource exports fails to properly develop the true engines of prosperity," he said. "Any informed observer of energy markets today recognizes that the real revolution is in clean tech technology."

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The websites for two major reproductive health groups were down on Thursday after alleged cyberattacks

An array of thank you cards sent to Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. Tens of thousands of supporters have sent such cards to say they #StandWithPlannedParenthood. (Photo: Planned Parenthood Action/Facebook)

The coordinated assault on women's healthcare providers continued on Thursday, as the websites for two major reproductive health groups—Planned Parenthood and the National Network of Abortion Funds—were shut down following alleged cyberattacks.

Planned Parenthood's website was reportedly hacked on Wednesday afternoon, in what the organization's vice-president described as a "wide scale distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, a hacker tactic to overwhelm websites with massive amounts of traffic to block any legitimate traffic from getting in." The reproductive health provider then decided to keep its site temporarily offline "in order to more fully protect our websites from these extremist attacks."

On Thursday, the National Network of Abortion Funds—an umbrella organization for groups that help low-income women pay for abortions—reported that it had experienced a similar attack.

Also Thursday, anti-abortion activists known as the Center for Medical Progress released a fourth undercover video of Planned Parenthood officials discussing fetal tissue donation.

The video release follows action on Tuesday by a California judge to ban the Center for Medical Progress from releasing any more video of its conversations with a separate tissue procurement company in that state—the first legal response to the extensive sting operation, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

And in Washington, D.C., 18 House conservatives told GOP leaders on Thursday that they will not support any measure to fund the government if it continues to fund Planned Parenthood—effectively threatening to shut down the government over the debacle.

"We must act to fully defund Planned Parenthood," the lawmakers wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill. "Please know that we cannot and will not support any funding resolution—an appropriations bill, an omnibus package, a continuing resolution, or otherwise—that contains any funding for Planned Parenthood, including mandatory funding streams."

As of Wednesday evening, the House is on recess until early September. The Senate, meanwhile, could vote Monday on a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Wednesday.

Not all Republicans are succumbing to the smear campaign. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), for example, indicated Wednesday she would likely not support a defunding bill, noting that Planned Parenthood is the primary provider of women's services in her state.

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WASHINGTON, DC –-(ENEWSPF)--July 30, 2015. Today, 50 years ago, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement in celebration of the special anniversary:

“Virtually every family in America either has relied, is relying or will rely on Medicare and Medicaid – my family included. As we celebrate this special anniversary, I asked my constituents to share with me their views – and here is what I heard from Rhoda, who described Medicare and Medicaid as the ‘two heroes’ in her mother’s life.

‘I shudder to think what my mom's last months would have been like without Medicare and Medicaid. She could not afford private care, my sister lived a distance away and my own small house has stairs and many tight spaces my mom never could have maneuvered around in. She would have been bed bound and very unhappy if she had to stay with me. Medicare and Medicaid made all the difference in the world to one old and dying lady, her children, and her grandchildren. Everyone deserves basic and decent care in their last days. Please don't take this away from the many others like my mom who also deserve a good life all the way till the end.’

What a heartfelt story, and there are millions just like Rhoda’s mother. Today, more than 1 in 3 Americans are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare provides guaranteed health care to 55 million people – including more than 46 million seniors and 9 million non-elderly people with disabilities. A majority people receiving Medicare are women. Nearly 70 million children, adults, and seniors are covered by Medicaid. Medicaid gives kids a healthy start in life – and covers 1 in 3 children and 45 percent of all births. It is the single largest payer of mental health services. And it pays for 40 percent of the nation’s long-term care costs: home- and community-based long-term care services and nursing homes.

We can make Medicare and Medicaid even better but we must never erode their protections. That’s why I so strongly oppose Republican proposals to cut benefits, shift more costs onto the backs of older Americans and families, raise the age of eligibility, or take away access. The Republican budget resolution passed this year would turn Medicare into a voucher program and put insurance companies in charge. It would eliminate Medicaid expansion – taking away health care from over 16 million individuals – and includes additional Medicaid cuts of $500 billion. Those are cuts seniors and American families simply cannot afford. Instead, we need to make Medicare and Medicaid even better – for this and for future generations.

So, as we take time to celebrate this important 50th anniversary. I will continue to fight for high-quality, more affordable health and long-term care for all our families.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. –(ENEWSPF)—July 30, 2015. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) introducing the Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act. This bill would improve programs that help states and local communities in suicide prevention, helping children recover from traumatic events, mental health awareness for teachers and other individuals, and assessing barriers to integrating behavioral health and primary care.

“Despite a renewed effort to address the challenges of mental illness, our communities remain largely unequipped to respond to the need for mental health awareness, screening, and services,” Durbin said. “Our legislation will make federal help available for states and local communities to expand their mental health services and outreach programs.”

“We need to expand Medicare to cover every man, woman and child as a single-payer national health care program,” Sanders told a rally held by National Nurses United in a park near the Capitol.

Providing health insurance for everyone in the United States would result in better care, improved access and lower costs by eliminating the middle-man role played by insurance companies that now rake in billions of dollars in profits. Sanders’ bill, which he said he will soon introduce in the Senate, would set federal guidelines and strong minimum standards for states to administer single-payer health care programs.

“The United States is the only major nation in the industrialized world that does not guarantee health care as a right to its people," Sanders said. “Meanwhile, we spend far more per capita on health care with worse results than other countries. It is time that we bring about a fundamental transformation of the American health care system.”

The Affordable Care Act, which Sanders supported when it was passed in 2010, has provided access to health insurance for millions more people but will still leave 30 million uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Under today’s health care system in the United States, thousands of people die each year because they delay seeking care they cannot afford. Health care eats up one-fifth of the U.S. economy, but the U.S. ranks 27th among major, developed nations on life expectancy and 31st on infant mortality. Moreover, some 60 million Americans have inadequate access to primary care due to a shortage of physicians and other health care providers in their community.

Sanders’ proposal also would rein in skyrocketing prices for prescription drugs. Americans pay pharmaceutical companies nearly twice for the exact same drugs manufactured by the exact same companies in other countries. “This is unacceptable,” Sanders said. “Until we put patients over profits, our system will not work for ordinary Americans.”

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) is the sponsor of similar legislation in the House.